Dispersants comprising phosphoric acid monoesters of mannose polymers



3,tl8d,105 DISERSANTS CGIVIEEJSENG PHQSPHSRIC ACilD ll'iGNQESTERS CF MANNCSE PULYMERS Morey E. Slodhi, Peoria, 131., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary oi Agriculture No Drawing. Griginal application Dec. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 850,615, new Patent No. 3,l02,96'i, dated Cat. 3, 1961. Divided and this application May 24, 1061, Ser. No. 112,473

1 Claim. (Cl. 16'7--90) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) A nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the invention herein described, throughout the World for all purposes of the United States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for such purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States of America.

This application is a division of application bearing Serial No. 860,615, filed December 18, 1959, now US. Patent No. 3,002,967.

This invention pertains to novel phosphoric acid monoesters derived from the potassium salts of certain phosphomannan polymers, namely the phosphomannan polymers produced in the aerobic whole culture fermentations of Hansenula holstz'i, NRRL Y-2448, Y-2l54, and Y-2155, as disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,961,378 of Benedict et al., and also the phosphoric acid monoesters derived from the potassium salts of the phosphomannan polymers produced in corresponding fermentations of Hansenula capsulata, NRRL Yl889, H, capsulata, NRRL Y-1842, H. holstii, NRRL Y-2154, H. minzlta, NRRL Y4ll, Pachysolen tannophilus, NRRL Y2461, Torulopsis pinus, NRRL Y-2023, and Saccharomyces pini, NRRL YB-2022.

The phosphoric acid monoesters prepared from the potassium salts of the above polymers possess marked dispersant action so that, for example, a very small amount admixed with 100 gm. of zinc oxide in 100 ml. of Water provides a smooth fluid dispersed paste instead of an extremely thick lumpy paste. Such free-flowing pastes can advantageously be employed in skin lotions and ointments. It is emphasized that the action of my monoesters is not a suspending action as would be provided by a gum-like polymer, and that aqueous solutions thereof are clear, water-White, and tasteless, the 1.0 percent aqueous solutions having a viscosity of about 1.5 centistokes at 25 C.

I have discovered that the potassium phosphomannans obtained by methanol precipitation from the said fermentations are converted to the pyrophosphoric acid form of the phosphomannan by slurrying with the hydrogen form of a sulfonic acid type cation exchange resin. The viscosity of the somewhat viscous solution falls abruptly and the pyrophosphoric acid form of the polymer can simply be decanted 01f, leaving the cation exchange resin. Moderate heating of the decanted pyrophosphoric acid form causes an autohydrolysis and the formation of the phosphoric acid form without significant concomitant hydrolysis of the mannose polymer chains.

The complete structures of the autohydrolyzed phosphomannan polymers of this invention have not yet been fully established, but since over '95 percent of the phosphorus content has been isolated in the form of mannose- 6-phosphoric acid as shown in my concurrently filed application, Serial No. 860,614, now US. Patent No. 3,002,966, the phosphoric acid moiety is bound to the No. 6 carbon atoms of the mannosidic units.

Table I shows the degrees of polymerization and indicates the extent of phosphorylation of the potassium Eflddj-E E atcnted Apr. 2, 1963 phosphomannan starting materials. It permits selection of the most advantageous member for a given purpose.

TABLE I Yeast Phosphomannans Table II shows the dispersant eifect on zinc oxide of adding 1 percent (based on the zinc oxide) of neutralized autohydrolyzed Y-1842 and Y-12448 phosphomannan.

The following mixtures were prepared:

(A) 30 gm. ZnO powder+30 ml. HOH

(B) 30 gm. ZnO powder+30 ml. HOH+1% NaCl (C) 30 gm. ZnO powder-p30 ml. 1% autohyd, Y-1842 (D) 330 gm. ZnO powder-H0 ml. 1% autohyd, Y-2448 TABLE II [Brookfield viscosimeter, No. 3 spindle] Sample 6 r.p.m. 12 r.p.m. 30 r.p.m. 60 r.p.m

1 (Too viscous to read even at lowest r.p.m.)

This invention is to be clearly distinguished from that disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 860,614, filed December 18, x1959, in which it is taught that pure mannose-6-phosphate, having utility in biochemical research, may be prepared by first hydrolyzing the same potassium phosphomannans employed as starting materials in the instant invention, then forming a precipitable salt of mannose-6-phosphate with barium acetate, and then freeing the desired substance by cation exchange.

The following embodiment further teaches the practice of my invention.

EXAMPLE I Phosphornannan NRRL Y l842, in the form of its potassium salt, was prepared by culturing '200 ml. of a freshly prepared subculture of Hansenula capsulata, NRRL Y-l 8 42 for 96 hours at 25 C. under aerobic conditions (0.5 millirnole O /l./min.) with 19 volumes of a substrate having the following composition.

Component: Wt. by vol. percent Comml. glucose 6.0 Corn steep liquor 0.1 Tryptone 0. 1 KH PO 0.5 Solution B (Speakrnan salts) 1 v./v 0.5 Water, q.s.

3 dissolving the potassium salt of the p'hosphomannan in 6000 ml. of 50-percent aqueous methanol; recentrifuging; reprecipitating the potassium salt of the phosphomannan from the supernatant by adding 40 ml. of-saturatedpotassium acetate solution; redissolving the potassium phosphomannan in 1500 ml. distilled Water; adding 900 ml. of methanol containing '5 percent potassium acetate (final methanol concentration of 37 percent); dehydrating the precipitated potassium phosphomannan, NRRL Y-l842, in60 ml. methanol containing 1 percent potassium acetate; washing with absolute methanol; and drying in a vacuum oven .for 8 hours at 45 C. Yield: 55 grams of pure White powder.

Two grams of potassium' phosphomannan NRRL Y-.l842 obtained asabove Was-dissolved in 200 m1. distilled Water and slurried with an excess '(until Congo red turned blue) of the hydrogen form (H+) of a sulfonic acid type cation exchange resin The Viscosity of the phosphomannan solution vfell abruptly so .thatlthe cation exchange resin settled and permitted simple decantation of the solution containing the pyrophosphoric acid form of the phosphomannan. Heating of the decanted solution for 20 minutes at 100 C. provided autohydrolysis of the pyrophosphoric acid group and formation of the phosphoric acid monoester form of phosphomannan NRRL Y-1'842. The 1 percent solution thusly prepared was employed after neutralization in the zinc oxide dispersion studies evaluated in Table I, but itvis obvious that for commercial purposes it might be advantageous to provide the neutralized dry product or partially evaporated solutions.

I claim:

A method comprising slurrying the potassium salt of a phosphomannan polymer, obtained from the aerobic Whole culture fermentation of a yeast selected from the group consisting of Hansenula holstiz', NRRL Y-2448, H. holstii, NRRL Y-2154, H. holstii, NRRL Y-2l55, H. capsulata, NRRL Y-l889, H. capsulata, NRRL Y--1842, H. minuta, N'RRL Y-411, Pachysolen tam noplzilus, NRRL Y-2461, Torulopsis pinus, NRRL Y-2023, and Saccharomyces pini, NRR'L YB-2022, with g the hydrogen form of a sulfonic acid type cation exchange resin to form a solution containing the pyrophosphoric acid form of said phosphomannan polymer, separating said solution from .the slurry, heating said solution at a temperature of about C. for about .20 minutes to efiFect autohydrolysis of the pyrophosphoric acid group and formation of the phosphoric acid-monoester form of said phosphomannan polymer, neutralizing the resulting solution, and mixing equal parts of a 1% solutiontoflsaid neutralized-phosphoric acid monoester witlran equal part of zinc oxide to form asmooth, free-flowingpaste of the zinc oxide. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,052,029 Harris Aug. 25, 1936 

